Hold Me Tight
by The Scratch Man
Summary: Remy stared back and vaguely wondered why there was a wave of lust rolling off the younger man.
1. Welcome

Disclaimer: Like I own anything.

A/N: Well, I DID say I might expand on this…

_Telltale quote: "Every network system in the area crashed simultaneously and then aliens destroyed all of the computers."-Jono _

Remy Lebeau closed his faded brown knapsack and swung it over his shoulder. He opened the door of his room and started down the hall, hoping not to run into anyone.

He opened the front doors to find a young man already standing there, one arm raised to knock.

"_Desole_," Remy muttered, moving past him and jumping down the three front stairs.

/Wait!/

Remy scowled; he wasn't very fond of telepaths.

"_Oui_?" He said curtly, turning around.

He saw the look in the younger man's eyes –the lost, confused expression –and softened up a bit.

/I'm supposed ter … I'm Chamber –from Gen X, and Emma sent me ter join the X Men…/ Chamber's brow furrowed, and Remy realized that the reason he was speaking telepathically was because everything from his nose under was covered with bandages.

"Xavier's office is de second floor on de left, all de way down. Can't miss it." Remy said.

Chamber blinked and Remy was surprised by the self-hate and sadness that suddenly radiated off of the other man.

/Thanks,/ Chamber muttered, casting his eyes down to his feet and going inside.

Remy stared at the door for a moment after Chamber had closed it. He was cute, really. All dress up in black and chains and bandages. Yet he seemed very dark and brooding; a loner, maybe? His socials skills had seemed rather inept and underused, after all.

"Lost already?" Remy huffed, stopping behind the newcomer.

Chamber whirled around, startled. /I thought y' were on yer way out./ he said.

Remy shrugged, "Someone's got t' help y' get settled in," He said, sticking out his hand "Name's Gambit,"

/Call me Jono./ Chamber -Jono said, taking the outstretched hand and shaking it.

"Den call me Remy,"/ Remy replied.

/Right./ Jono said, staring at him.

Remy stared back, wondering why there was a distinct wave of lust rolling off Jono and then chiding himself for not giving the other man's emotions some privacy. He also wondered why he admiring Jono's dark brown eyes, which were lined with eyeliner to match his Gothic style.

They were still standing there in the front hall, staring at each other, hands still clasped together, when Jean and Xavier approached them.

"Ah, I see you've already met Gambit," Xavier said,

They blinked and stepped back.

/Yer Professor Xavier?/ Jono said.

Xavier nodded, smiling pleasantly, "And this is Jean Grey, one of my first students."

She smiled and leaned in to shake Jono's hand after Xavier.

As he spoke with Jono, Remy turned and started off down the hall.

Jean followed him and tapped his shoulder lightly, "I think Jono would appreciate a friend out of you." She said, tilting her head and smiling, "Stay?"

Remy shifted his knapsack uneasily.

Now that he was no longer staring into Jono's eyes and out of close range of his emotions, Remy was ready to leave once more.

Jean looked at him expectantly.

Remy looked over at Jono, who was listening to Xavier talk, but who kept glancing over at Remy.

He gulped, "Oui," He said finally, nodding his head.

Jean grinned, "Excellent!"

She took his arm and dragged him back over to Jono and Xavier.

"…And I'm sure Jean will be glad to give you a tour-"

"Actually, Charles, I have a few things I need to take of soon. Why don't we have Remy show Jono around?"

Xavier and Jono looked at Remy.

He shrugged, "Won't be a problem," he agreed, looking at Jono.

The younger man nodded.

"Excellent," Xavier stated, echoing Jean's earlier exclamation, "Gambit, Jono's room is going to be the empty room next to yours. Please take him there first."

Remy gestured to Jono to follow him and started down the hall.

As Jono followed him, Remy tested the emotions around him.

Lust was still there, but he was surprised by the little bit of relief and satisfaction that Jono felt. There was something else, too…

Happiness?

_Mon dieu,_ Remy thought to himself, _De newcomer already likes me. But will he still feel dat way after he finds out was happened in Antarctica?_

He tested the emotions in the air again.

Yep; Lots and lots of lust still there.

Remy stopped at the Jono's new room and opened the door.

Jono walked inside, dropped his backpack on the bed and then turned, ready to go again.

So Remy took him through the mansion, he introduced Jono to Hank in the Med Lab first and then took Jono to meet Scott (who was in the Danger Room). Remy waited until very last to take Jono to the Recreation Room, where he knew everyone would be hanging out.

No one besides Jean was really comfortable around him these days (and come on, Jean is just… _Jean_, so she shouldn't even count) so he wasn't looking forward to being in a room full of them and plus, he sort of wanted to keep Jono all to himself for little while more.

Everyone looked up as Remy and Jono entered the room.

'Everyone' included Logan, Rogue, Joseph, Bobby, Jubilee, and Storm; most of the X Men.

"And dis is de Recreation Room," Remy told Jono, "F' relaxin'." He gulped and turned to the others, "Everyone, dis is Chamber –He's from Gen X. Gonna be on de team from now on an' Gambit was jus' showin' him 'round de mansion." He looked at Jono, "Dis is de rest o' de team dat's stayin' in de mansion right now. Over dere is Storm –Ororo –an' den Bobby, Logan, Jubilee –who y' already know –Joseph an' R-Rogue." Gambit stammered out the last name and then looked down carefully.

"Hey, Jono! I didn't know you were joining! How come you didn't call me or something?" Jubilee grinned from her place on the couch next to Logan.

/I lost yer number./ Jono said flatly giving everyone an unenthusiastic wave.

"Well you could have emailed me!" Jubilee said cheerfully.

/Every network system in the area crashed simultaneously and then aliens destroyed all of the computers./ Jono replied dryly.

Jubilee made a face and stuck out her tongue before turning back to the TV.

"Hi Jono," Bobby grinned, "I can call you that, right? I mean, Jubes says you don't like Jonothan, and we only ever call Storm by her codename."

/Jono's fine./ He said, shifting uneasily around so much people

Everyone else said their various hellos.

Remy could feel Rogue glaring at him even though he was staring at the floor.

She and Joseph were taking a vacation and leaving the following day, so Remy felt a little relieved. If he was going to stay at the mansion for a little longer, at least Rogue would be gone.

A little longer.

How long would _that_ be? He agreed to stay and be a friend for the newcomer, but soon Jono would have new friends among the X Men, and he wouldn't want to be around Remy once someone filled him in on all the details of his part in the Morlock Massacre…

Suddenly, Jono announced, /I'm tired. Hope yer don't mind, but I'm going ter turn in a bit early. Still got ter unpack, too.../

Jubilee and Bobby teasingly complained that Jono didn't like them, but Storm spoke up, "Of course, I'm sure you must be rather tired after everything." She said.

Jono nodded and turned, /I'm not sure if I remember where…/ He said.

Remy shrugged, /S' okay, _homme_. De mansion's pretty big. Come on./ he lead Jono out of the room and through the mansion, back to his newly assigned room.

/Thanks./ Jono said. He looked around just as he was about to step inside, /Who else lives in this hall./

"Jus' y' an' me, _homme_. Everyone else … has rooms on de floor above or de ones below us."

Jono eyed the doors along the hall, /Then what are the rooms for?/

"Jus' empty bedrooms," Remy tried saying nonchalantly.

It was obvious Jono wanted to know why no one else was roomed nearby, but he didn't ask and instead, bid Remy good night and went into his room, locking the door behind him.

That night, Jono found out why no one else lived on the third floor of the mansion.

Remy had nightmares. And they were loud.

XXXXX

A/N: No worries! More to come! Please stop to review and let me know what you thought! I know the whole Antarctica thing is old, but I only recently discovered Remy/Jono… like three weeks ago. Hope you liked chapter one!


	2. Nightmare

Disclaimer: Like I own anything. Seriously.

A/N: Chapter two… enjoy and review!

_Telltale quote: "Do I have somethin' on my face?" -Remy_

XXXXX

The next morning, Rogue and Joseph departed the mansion. This was around ten o'clock –way earlier than the time Remy generally woke up these days.

Jono didn't see Remy all day.

Scott and Xavier took him to the Danger Room first thing in the morning where they assessed his abilities and combat skills. Then Jubilee had dragged him off to properly meet 'Wolvie' and then to catch up on 'old times'. Lunch rolled around and Jono watched everyone else eat and then Jean and Xavier had taken him to evaluate his telepathic abilities. Just when Jono thought he was safe and could haul himself back to his room, Hank had called him to the Med Lab to take a physical. Then, on his way up, he had run into Storm, who asked him how he was doing. He listened and responded politely to her words, but eventually she could tell that he really wanted to get away, and she said goodbye.

And so, while everyone else headed to dinner, Jono went up to his room and flopped down on the bed, exhausted.

There was a knock on the door.

/Wot the hell now?/ Jono groaned, putting a pillow over his face.

He heard the door open.

"Y' seem t' be settlin' in alright, _homme_," said a familiar voice.

Jono threw the pillow aside and propped himself up on his elbows, /Haven't even sat down all morning. Its bloody tiring./ He said.

Remy smiled slightly, "No one givin' y' a hard time, _oui_?" he asked, leaning against the wall and crossing his arms.

Jono snorted, /I'm not a kid,/

"_Non_," Remy agreed.

Jono sat up and looked at Remy, /Shouldn't yer be down at dinner?/

An expression Jono couldn't recognize flitted across the older man's face before he shrugged, "I eat in m' room," He said.

Jono found himself staring at Remy chest, which, even under his usual body armor, was well defined.

He blinked and then quickly changed the direction of his gaze, looking up.

To Remy's lips.

Curved and seemingly perfectly nice.

Jono would kiss them if he had a mouth.

Whoa.

Did he just think that?

Oh Christ—

"-Do I have somethin' on my face?" Remy wondered, reaching up and putting a hand over his mouth.

Jono blinked quickly, /Wot? No./

Remy raised an eyebrow, "Then why y' starin', _homme_?"

Jono shrugged, /Must've jus' spaced out fer a moment./

"Mm hm," Remy nodded skeptically,

/Wot?/ Jono said with laughter in his voice.

The corner of Remy's mouth twitched upward. He reached into the pocket of his trench coat and, "Well, since we're both here," He pulled out a deck of cards, "Y' know how t' play poker?"

XXXXX

Remy grinned and slapped his cards on the table.

/Yer kidding!/ Jono complained, slumping back against the headboard of the bed, /Yer got t' be cheating./

Remy smirked, "I am. Y' jus' don' know how."

/Tell me,/ Jono said,

"Den y'd know how t' catch me," Remy said. He stood up and stretched, "T'ink I'm gon' go t' bed."

Jono stood up, too, / I kept yer later than I should of…/ he apologized.

Remy waved his hand dismissively and then used the back of it to cover an oncoming yawn, "_Desole_, dat was rude o' me." He said.

/No it wasn't. Go on ter sleep./ Jono said. His eyes crinkled at the corners and Remy realized that he was just smiling.

Remy waved a goodbye, "_bonne nuit, _Jono,"

/'Night, Remy,/

The door closed and Jono checked the time.

It was half past midnight.

He was tired.

Lying down across the bed, Jono closed his eyes.

XXXXX

"Non… don'… please…"

Jono rolled over and groaned.

The night before, Remy had moaned and groaned in his sleep –Jono could hear it through the wall. Tonight, he seemed to have upgraded to speaking as well.

Jono opened Remy's door and slipped inside.

"_Non_," Remy moaned, rolling over.

The room was completely dark –the curtains were pulled over the windows, shutting out the moonlight.

Jono moved toward Remy's bed quietly.

He was kicking against his bedsheets, but they were all twisted around his legs.

Jono pulled away the tangled blankets.

"Don'… Don't leave me…" Remy mumbled, "Rogue! _Chere_, don'! Stop, please… _Non_… Rogue…" He called out.

/Gambit, it's jus' a nightmare…/ Jono whispered, kneeling next to the bed.

"Rogue!" Gambit cried, thrashing about.

Jono climbed over the bed and grabbed Remy to keep him still, /Yer wanna wake the whole bloody mansion?/

Suddenly Remy knocked Jono off and he tumbled onto the bed, /Yer a really active sleeper, yer know that?/ He grumbled, trying to get up again.

Remy's arm snaked around his waist and the next thing he knew, Jono was caught underneath the older man.

"Rogue… _Chere_…"

/I'm –I'm not Rogue,/ Jono gasped, trying to escape and failing.

"So cold… Don' leave…" Remy fell silent.

Jono sighed and fell back on the bed, surrendering.

"…Chamber?" Remy whispered.

Jono tensed, /Yeah. Yer not in Antarctica anymore; don't worry, yer safe. Yer in the mansion./

"Don' leave me 'lone." Remy pleaded, suddenly frantic.

/I won't./ Jono promised.

Remy exhaled slowly and nestled against Jono's chest.

Jono laid there, slightly shocked, before reaching down and pulling the blankets over Remy.

XXXXX

A/N: MWEE-HEE-HEE! I started watching Torchwood and I LOVE it! S2S1 is my favorite (John's the best!).

So anyway, reviews are appreciated! Don't be shy!


	3. Clothes

**Disclaimer: Not mine**

**A/N: Thank you to people who reviewed. That makes a total of three people. Geez.**

**Anyway, here cometh chapter three… I know; the excitement. Note the sarcasm. Enough with my rambling: Onward!**

**Chapter Three: In which Jubilee and Bobby come to the wrong conclusions, and Jono and Remy wear REGULAR CLOTHES.**

_**Telltale quote: "Hm, how old is Gambit, anyway? Thirty? Forty?" –Jubilee**_

XXXXX

"DANGER ROOM –TEN MINUTES! GET YOUR ASS OUT OF BED, GUMBO!" Logan's voice and the loud bang on the door jolted Remy and Jono awake and they tumbled out of the bed, landing on the floor in a tangled mess of limbs and sheets.

"Jono?" Remy said in bewilderment as Jono started getting them untangled.

/'Morn./ He mumbled.

"Wha-?" Remy started to ask before he remembered the night before, "You-? I was havin' a nightmare-"

/Yeah. We had a sleepover. Hope yer don't mind, but I couldn't jus' leave yer ter-/

"It's _bien_." Remy said, waving his hand dismissively, "My fault, anyway. Woke y' up in de middle o' de night, didn' I?"

/Yer okay?/

"Jus' a nightmare." Remy shrugged.

Jono nodded as he finally got his left foot out of a tangle of blankets.

/Later,/ he said, heading out of the room.

He opened the door to find Jubilee knocking loudly at his door.

"Oh, hey, Jono," She said, "I thought this was your room," she pointed at the door.

Jono closed Remy's door and opened his own, /It is./ he said.

Jubilee followed him into his room, "But then isn't the other room Gambit's?"

/Yes,/ Jono replied.

"…so, uh, what were you doing there?"

/Sleeping./ Jono replied.

Jubilee obviously made a very different interpretation of that than how Jono meant it, and her eyes widened, "What? Did you say sleeping?"

/Yes,/ Jono said, opening his closet and pulling out new clothes.

"Wait, but…" Jubilee was at loss for words.

/But wot?/ Jono said, traveling to the bathroom.

"Did –you –? You –OMIGOD!" Jubilee exclaimed.

Jono sighed and gave her a look, /No, we didn't, Jubilee. Don't be such a bloody perv,/ He said, closing the door.

XXXXX

"Hey Jubilee," Bobby said, greeting his partner in crime and she walked into the Recreation Room and sat down next to him, "What's up?"

"Nothing," she said. She bit her lip and then said, "Okay, promise not to tell?"

"Promise," Bobby agreed, scooting closer.

"It's just, I saw Jono this morning."

"And?" Bobby prompted.

"He was coming out of _Gambit'_s room." She said.

Bobby blinked and then grinned, "Start from the beginning. Tell me _everything_."

When Jubilee finished, Bobby looked thoughtful, "How old is Jono, anyway?"

"Twenty. Just a year older than me," Jubilee said, "Hm, how old is Gambit?Thirty? Forty?"

Bobby scrunched up his face to think, "Uh, twenty three or twenty four, I think."

"I guess four years isn't that much." Jubilee said, "So do you think I'm right?"

Bobby nodded, "Definitely possible. Rogue used to always say that Gambit had no preferences… man, she always complained about that."

"So…" Jubilee said, "Gambit and Jono."

"Huh."

"Huh indeed."

XXXXX

That night, Remy began muttering again, and Jono could hear it through the wall. He found that Remy always stopped once someone was with him, so he slipped out of his room and into Remy's.

"Nnn… _non_, don' … Rogue… _chere_, it's cold … don' leave me!"

Jono sat down on the edge of the bed, blinking sleepily, and untangled Remy from his blankets, /Sh, sh, Gambit, it'sjus' a nightmare./

Remy shivered and mumbled something.

Jono stood up as Remy quieted down.

"Don' leave me…" Remy mumbled.

Jono stared at Remy and then sat back down and lay down next to him. Remy shifted closer and draped and arm over Jono's waist.

Jono realized that Remy simply craved touch and wrapped his arms around him, /I'm not going anywhere, Remy,/ he said softly.

XXXXX

Remy opened his eyes.

The room was still dark so it was most definitely earlier than his usual wake-up time.

He felt a warm body in front of him, and arms were wrapped around him.

"Chamber?" he whispered in astonishment.

The younger man groaned, /Nng… go back ter sleep, Remy./ he mumbled.

Remy closed his eyes and did as Jono said.

XXXXX

When Remy woke up again, he was alone. He blinked away his grogginess and looked around.

/Awake?/

Remy sat up and found Jono walking into the room, dressed in clean black clothes, his hair damp.

"Time?" he croaked,

/Nearly one./

Remy groaned and swung his legs over the side of the bed, standing up. He stretched and made his way to his closet, grabbing his usual clothes.

/Don't yer ever wear anything besides yer uniform?/ Jono wondered as Remy threw the body armor over a chair.

"Y' ever wear anythin' besides black?" Remy shot back.

/Yeah./

Remy raised his an eyebrow and turned to look at Jono, "How long ago was dat?" He snorted,

/Before my powers manifested./ Jono blinked, /Yer gonna answer my question?/

"_Oui_; _Non,_" Remy said, walking into his bathroom and closing the door.

When he came out later, hair wet from his shower and only wearing a towel wrapped around his waist, he discovered that the clothes he had laid out were gone, replaced with a white t-shirt and washed-out jeans.

Remy opened his closet and found all of the other clothing missing, too, save for his trench coat.

Curse Jono.

Remy smiled faintly and put on the clothes laid out for him. The t-shirt turned out to be made out of the thinner type of fabric and the jeans weren't baggy –they were almost tight, really.

Donning his trench coat, Remy headed out.

It was almost sad how shocked everyone was to see him wandering about in such casual attire.

Jubilee actually stopped in her tracks and gaped at him.

/I see yer like the clothes I picked fer yer./ Jono said when Remy tracked him down in the Recreation Room.

"Y' stole my clothes." Remy said in amusement.

/Had ter make necessary precautions./ Jono said.

"I don' t'ink dat it's fair dat y' still get t' wear y'r _Gothic_ clothes."

/One step at a time,/ Jono said, the corners of his eyes crinkling in a smile.

Remy threw himself down onto the couch next to Jono, "Y'r almost evil, y' know dat? Where'd y' put my clothes?"

/They're not in _my_ room, I'll tell yer that./ Jono said.

Remy leaned over and tried his best to glare convincingly, "So where did y' put dem, den?" He said. He couldn't keep glaring when Jono's eyes crinkled at the corners and he grinned.

God, Remy hadn't smiled so much in the last five months as he had in these first four days that Jono had been in the mansion.

He tested the air around his for emotions. The immediate happiness he felt radiating off of Jono sent a warm tingle through him whole body. Remy recognized fondness and affection, too, and …lust.

Whoops.

He leaned back quickly.

Hate suddenly crashed onto Remy, who was still open to Jono's emotions. He realized the hate was not directed towards him, though.

Jono looked away.

Remy wanted to get rid of the hate. He wanted the happiness back in Jono. He wanted to see Jono's eyes smile.

"Play cards wit' me?" he asked, pulling a deck of them out of his trench coat.

Jono shrugged coolly, /Alright./

Jono didn't smile again. He seemed uneasy, glancing around the room all afternoon.

"Y' need t' go somewhere?" Remy asked finally.

Jono shook his head and picked up the cards Remy had dealt him.

At half past three, Jubilee and Bobby came into the room. They immediately spied the Cajun and the Goth sitting on the couch playing cards and exchanged knowing looks.

"Hey Jono," Jubilee said loudly.

He glanced up in acknowledgement and then looked back down at his cards.

"I win. Again." Remy said after a moment,

/Yer such a smug cheater,/ Jono said.

"Didn' cheat," Remy said,

Jono rolled his eye, /And I'm supposed ter believe that?/

"Guess not." Remy replied, picking up the cards, "'Nother game?"

Jono shook his head to the offer, /Have ter go ter a Danger Room session soon./

Remy nodded in understanding and extended the invitation to Jubilee and Bobby, who both accepted and came to sit with him to start a new game.

XXXXX

Jono dragged himself to bed at such a late hour (or was it early?) that by the time he passed Remy's room, everything was quiet.

XXXXX

Remy woke up with a start. He was covered with a thin sheen of cold sweat and his bed sheets were tangled around his legs. He hadn't woken up like this (covered in sweat, heart beat going wild, senses alert) for nearly four days. He had almost forgotten what it was like.

Almost.

He lay in his bed, panting and waiting for his heart rate to decrease before he sat up and got out.

It was only when he was about to step into the bathroom for his morning shower that Remy realized that he had no clothes.

Jono had stolen them the day before.

Wearing only a pair of boxers, Remy left his room and knocked on Jono's door.

/Wot?/ Jono yelled from the other side.

"It's Remy," Remy said softly/

A lock turned and Jono opened the door. He was wearing black sweats with the waistband rolled down to his hips and very little else. Besides his bandages, of course.

"Y' lock it?" Remy said in surprise.

/Jubilee would walk in whenever she felt like it, otherwise./ Jono said, /'Morning ter yer too./

"Sorry if I woke y', but y' took my clothes yesterday." Remy said, stepping back and waved towards himself as evidence.

Jono opened the door wider and squinted at Remy for a second.

Remy felt the lust again and wondered how Jono's expression never showed even a hint of it.

/Oh, right. Sorry./ Jono said, he pushed the door to the widest it could go and waved Remy in.

"T'ought y' said it wasn't in y' room," Remy said.

/Surprised yer believed me. Heard yer were a thief,/ Jono said.

"My powers usually detect de lies. I wasn't usin' it on y', an' y'r a pretty good liar, so…" Remy said nonchalantly.

Jono piled a bunch of clothes into Remy's arms, /How do yer powers have ter do anything with detecting lies?/ He asked.

Whoops.

Again.

"Y' –didn' –uh, no one told y'?" Remy said. Well of course no one would have told Jono –no one knew!

/Told me wot? Yer have a second power?/

Remy sighed, "Hypnotic charm. Empathy."

Jono stared at him, /But yer don't read my emotions on purpose, right?/ he said.

"Try t' ignore dem, _oui_," Remy said. He hid his unease by walking towards the door.

Once in his room, he dumped his clothes on the bed.

Jono came into the room behind him, /Yer _try_ not to?/

"Despite what some people t'ink," Remy said in forced calmness, "Y'r a very emotional _homme_."

Jono scowled, /So yer saying yer try not ter read my emotions but yer don't try hard enough?/

"_Non_," Remy said, walking towards the bathroom, "I'm sayin' y'r emotions pour off y' like a waterfall."

Jono's scowl deepened and it looked quite odd because half of his face was covered. Then his features smoothed out, /Wot am I feeling right now?/

Remy stopped at the doorway of the bathroom and tested the air around him, "Besides de usual, not'in' much."

/Wot's the 'usual'?/

Remy hesitated, "Self-hate, annoyance, self-pity, anger, an' resentment."

Jono blinked, /I do not feel that way all of the time!/ he said immediately.

Remy shrugged and said, "Why would I lie 'bout somet'in' like dat?" He said, closing the bathroom door behind him.

Jono stood, fuming, glaring at the closed door.

He left the room, closing the door in a less than quiet manner.

"Er, hey Jono," Jubilee said blinking.

Jono crossed his arms. Why was she always passing by when he left Remy's room?

"What's up? You look angrier than usual." Jubilee smiled.

/Why,/ he growled, /Did yer never see fit ter tell me that he has empathy powers?/ Jono pointed at the door to Remy's room.

Jubilee blinked slowly and tilted her head to the side, "Remy has empathy? Like, he can read emotions?"

Jono scowled, /Don't play dumb!/ he snapped going into his room.

Jubilee stood, puzzled, staring at the closed door.

Then she grinned as she realized Jono hadn't been wearing a shirt.

She shrugged and continued down the hall.

Lover's quarrel.

They'd get over it.

XXXXX

**A/N: Tee hee. I had fun writing this chapter. Poor Remy and Jono won't know what hit them when Jubilee and Bobby confront them about sleeping together in the next chapter. Although, technically, I suppose they were sleeping together. But not in the 'sleeping together' way, more like in the 'sleeping' **_**together**_** way. Get my drift? No? Oh well. Review anyway!**


	4. Once Upon a Time

**Disclaimer: If you recognize it, I don't own it.**

**A/N: Yay! I got three reviews for the last chapter! It's so sad how that made my day. As NahlaLebeau wondered –how will Remy and Jono kiss? Well, my darlings, I believe the real thing we should be pondering is WHEN will they kiss? 'Cuz I'm hoping for in the near future. Have fun reading! Review!**

_**Telltale quote**_**: /Drake, wot the bloody hell are yer going on about?/ -Jono**

**XXXXX**

With Jono pissed at him, Remy had no one to talk to. Well, no one that wouldn't end up pissing _him _off.

"Hey Gumbo.,"

For instance: Remy _could_ talk to Jubilee, but she would most likely end up pissing him off.

"I ain't in a good mood, _fille_," Remy said darkly.

"Aw c'mon!" Jubilee said, sitting down next to him on the couch, and shoving a soda into his hand, "It's because Jono is mad at you, right? Don't worry! He'll get over it! He just sulks for a few days."

"I—"

"And besides," Jubilee plowed on, "All couples go through rough patches in their relationship and have arguments."

Remy choked on the sip of soda he had just taken, "_What_?" He coughed.

Jubilee patted him arm, "Just go talk to Jono," She said, "Which reminds me –are you an empath?"

"It's a secret," He said weakly.

"Oh, well, it's safe with me!" Jubilee grinned, standing up, "I hope you and Jono make up! You are _such_ cute couple!"

Remy stared after her, his jaw slack.

A couple? Him and Jono? Now where in Hell had Jubilee gotten that idea?

XXXXX

Jono scowled at the carpet, his arms crossed.

"Has the flooring offended you somehow, or do you just not like the color?"

He looked up and scowled at Bobby Drake, /Sod off,/

"I'm hurt," Bobby said mockingly, clutching his heart. He rolled his eyes and sat down, "So, why are you mad at Gambit? Something about powers or whatever? I mean, that's what Jubes said."

Jono didn't reply and glared at Bobby. Any normal person would have had a whole burning through their heads, but Bobby was quite immune (or perhaps oblivious) to Jono's murderous look.

"Just to let you know, I'm perfectly okay with how you are." Bobby said suddenly.

What the hell? /Great…/ Jono shrugged.

"No really. Jubilee and I know what's going on, and we're perfectly, 100 percent behind you. I mean, you get to choose how you want to live, right?"

Now this was getting weird, /Drake, wot the bloody hell are yer going on about?/ Jono snapped.

"You and Remy, duh," Bobby grinned, cuffed Jono on the shoulder and then walked off.

/Me and… / Jono's eyes shot daggers at Bobby's retreating back. So that was how it was going to be? Remy letting Jubilee and Bobby think up stuff like this? The nerve!

Jono sprang to his feet and stalked down the hall.

Remy could feel fury directed toward him from two corridors away. As Jono appeared, stomping towards him, Remy felt vaguely nervous for his life.

Jono walked up to Remy until he was only a foot away.

"…Jono?" Remy said uncertainly.

He glared at Remy for a moment and then brought his arm back and let it fly, fist connecting with Remy's jaw.

Remy gasped in pain and clutched the offended jaw, "_Merde_! What de hell was dat f'?" he exclaimed.

Jono reached out and brushed his fingertips against Remy's jaw, /Bloody Cajun,/ he muttered, feeling his anger fade.

"Y' didn' have t' punch me!" Remy said indignantly,

/Yeah I did,/ Jono said,

Remy moved his lower jaw carefully, making sure it wasn't broken or anything, "Y' could jus' yell! No need t' try an' break my face!"

Jono snorted, /Of course. We wouldn't want that,/

Remy shot him a dirty look, "Dat reminds me (not really) –Y' know why Jubilee t'inks we're togedder?"

Jono blinked, /Together? Like a couple?/

Remy nodded, still scowling.

Jono joined him in his scowling, /Iceman seems ter be under that impression, too./

They stood there, scowling together.

Remy rubbed his sore jaw and then said, "Why y' mad at me?"

/Don't remember./

They fell back into a silence. It wasn't awkward, though. But there were some things being left unsaid.

"Want t' play cards?" Remy invited.

/Yeah./

XXXXX

"See! They've already made up and it's not even dinner yet!" Jubilee said triumphantly, "They're obviously a match made in Heaven!"

"Why is Gambit's jaw slightly bruised?" Bobby wondered as he and Jubilee peered into the Recreation Room that evening.

"What? It's not bruised. That's just the TV screen. Don't be ridiculous, Bobby." Jubilee rolled her eyes.

XXXX

And so everything went back to normal. Well, as normal as the life of an X Men can get, anyway.

Remy and Jono were best friends, and it was hard not to notice how their moods always lightened around each other.

During the nights, Remy was still tortured by nightmares of Antarctica, but Jono was always there to comfort him when they got too bad and Remy started screaming. Eventually, the nightmares stopped, but Jono still stayed with Remy every night.

The first time Remy kissed Jono, it was a cool, summer night.

Jono had pushed the initial lust he had felt for Remy aside, deciding that being friends could be enough, so when Remy pressed his lips against Jono's bandages, Jono froze.

Remy stepped back, fearing that Jono would grow angry, but instead, Jono cried.

And after all that time, it was finally Remy's turn to hold and comfort Jono. He soothingly repeated that Jono didn't have to have a mouth, that he still liked him.

So their relationship blossomed into a love story.

Remy could deal with not being able to receive kisses from his lover. He had, after all, been with a woman who could not be touched.

Rogue did come back to the mansion eventually, about a month after she had departed for a vacation. She returned, depressed, miserable, worn out, and strangely lacking the company of Joseph.

As it turned out, Joseph had left her to join Magneto on Asteroid M. The details were fuzzy to everyone but Xavier, and no one pressed Rogue for more information.

She posed no threat to Jono and Remy's new relationship. She preferred to ignore everyone most of the time, and eventually she left the mansion once more, this time to find peace with herself.

Of course, Bobby and Jubilee had no problem with Jono or Remy when they announced their dating status to the other X Men. Scott didn't really care who they dated, as long as it didn't mess with the team's performance, while Logan just plain didn't care. Jean, Hank, Storm and Xavier all responded to the news with supporting attitudes, even though Storm _was_ slightly uncomfortable with the idea of two men dating.

Remy took Jono to the movies a few times, but usually their 'dates' took place at the mansion in Remy's room, where they liked to curl up in front of the television and just hold each other.

….

Once upon a time, an angry and hateful man named Jono joined the X Men. He was angry and hateful toward himself, but then he met a beautiful prince –the Prince of Thieves. Jono and the prince found comfort in each other and became fast friends. When the Prince of Thieves stole the Jono's heart, it was okay, because the prince's heart had been stolen in return.

Once upon a time, two men who were hurting inside fell in love.

And they lived happily ever after

…For a while.

Even though they were very much in love, Jono didn't have a mouth, and he was sad. Jono told the prince they needed a break –from each other. Jono went out that very night for a walk to try and clear his head.

Once upon a different time, some very bad men stole Jono just a mile away from his home. And once upon that time, they stole the prince's heart as well.

…

Remy waited that night for Jono to come back inside. He had thought it over, and he had decided to try to reason with Jono. He had told Jono over and over –he didn't have to have a damn mouth! Remy would still love him forever and always.

Maybe that was it.

Remy had to actually say those words –"I love you".

They had been a couple for nearly two months, and Remy had never said it –never straight out like that.

Well Remy was determined to make sure Jono really knew that.

He would wait until Jono stepped in from his walk, and then he would tell Jono he loved him and he didn't want to take a break from their relationship.

Outside, fat drops of rain began to fall from the sky.

Remy stood up and began to pace the Rec Room. Eventually, he went out into the front hall and sat on the first steps of the staircase.

He waited.

He must've dozed off somehow, because the next thing he knew, Scott was shaking his shoulders and telling him to wake up.

"Have you been here all night?" Scott demanded.

Remy rubbed his eyes, blinked and looked around, "Where…" then he remembered and he sprang to his feet, "Jono!"

"What?" Scott said, frowning.

"Did he get back las' night?" Remy demanded.

"Wait…" Scott started, growing even more concerned.

"Jono!" Remy raced up the staircase to his room, which they usually shared. It was empty, the bed sheets untouched. He checked Jono's room. It, too, was empty.

Letting out a frantic hiss, Remy ran back downstairs and threw open the front doors.

The scene outside held signs of the overnight thunderstorm, but Jonothan Starsmore was nowhere to be found.

"Jono! _Chere_!" Remy cried hoarsely.

No one answered and Remy staggered to the doorway, holding onto it as his legs trembled beneath him.

"J-Jono…" He choked out, sinking to the ground.

XXXXX

The rain had washed away any scents of Jono and Logan was unable to track him. Jean went to the Academy in Massachusetts to ask Emma and Sean where Jono might have gone.

Xavier used Cerebro, but couldn't pick up Jono's mutant signature. It was almost as if he had disappeared from the face of the Earth.

Remy spent weeks searching the whole country for Jono. On November 2nd, two years after Jono went missing, Remy finally returned to Xavier's Institute.

The door was opened by a woman he didn't recognize.

"Oh, hi," She smiled uncertainly, before frowning as she took in his exhausted and haunted expression, "How can I help you?" she asked.

Remy walked into the mansion, right past her, "I live here," he said.

She stared after him and he said, "If y' don' believe me, y' can tell de others dat Remy Lebeau is back –an' he didn' find his _amour._"

XXXXX

A/N: I'M SO SORRY! THAT WAS SO SHORT! (But hopefully I'll be able to add more in the next chapter.). So…. Tell me what you liked, what you didn't like. Personally, I'm a bit unsatisfied with this chapter… It feels underdeveloped and rushed. Maybe in the next few chapters I'll make a flashback thing where we go over the Jono/Remy Good Times, hm? Please review!

TSM


	5. Fairytale

_**Disclaimer: If you recognize it, I don't own it.**_

**A/N: I watched X Men First Class recently (I know, I'm totally late) and I really liked it, surprisingly. The X Men trilogy sucked shit, but this once was pretty good. I especially liked the part where Charles and Erik were recruiting mutants and Logan's cameo (where he was like 'go fuck yourselves' and they did a turn-about and left the pub).**

_**Telltale quote**_**: "Whoa there, Blue. Where's the fire?" –Bobby Drake**

Annie Ghazikhanian ran through the halls of Xavier's Institute in search for an X Man –any one of them would be fine, quite frankly.

She entered the Med Lab, "Hank!" she called.

He looked up from his studies, "Oh, hello, Annie, how may I grace your presence-?"

"Is Remy LeBeau that guy who used to be on the team?" she demanded to know.

Hank frowned, "Why yes. I'm assuming something has occurred relating to him?"

"He just walked in through the doors! He's back!" Annie burst out, throwing her arms in the air.

Hank blinked and stared for a moment before jumping to his feet and racing out of the lab.

Annie ran out after him and finally caught up to the doctor as he was being held up my Bobby Drake, "Whoa there, Blue," Bobby said, "Where's the fire?"

"Remy is back," Hank informed him.

Iceman blinked, "Like, Gambit?"

Hank nodded, "Exactly Gambit," he said. Hank began to move past Bobby, but the ice mutant held out an arm, "I don't think he would want to be bothered." He said. "He didn't find Jono did he?"

Hank turned around to Annie, "Was there anyone with him?" he asked her.

Annie shook her head, "All he said was that he didn't find his '_amour_'."

Bobby gave Hank a pointed look, "Yeah. We should leave him alone."

Hank heaved a sigh, "I'll just go inform Scott, then."

Annie watched with increasing curiosity as Hank left. She hurried after Bobby, who had begun to walk in the opposite direction, "I've heard of Gambit before. Where did he go?"

Bobby looked troubled, "He went off to find a team mate –two years ago."

"Jono?" Annie asked, recalling the name Bobby had mentioned before.

"Yeah, Jono was with us for less than a year before he disappeared." With that, Bobby excused himself from Annie's presence, leaving her standing in the middle of the hall.

Resolute on finding out what was going on, Annie set out to find a certain other gossipy X Man.

Once upon a time, Annie supposed, Bobby had been very talkative. Ever since Northstar had joined the X men, Bobby had kept to himself.

Who knows why.

"Hi Jubilee," Annie spoke up, having located the pyrotechnic in the Rec Room.

"Oh, um, hey, Annie… whassup?" Jubilee asked.

Annie sat down on the couch, "I was just wondering…" She started, "I mean, I know we aren't the closest of friends, but I was wondering about your old team mate… Gambit."

Jubilee raised her eyebrows and sat up straighter, "Gumbo, huh? What's with the sudden interest?"

"He's …well, he's back," Annie said.

Jubilee's jaw went slack and her lips formed a comical 'O'. She snapped out of her surprise quickly, "No shit, really?"

"Swear to God," Annie said solemnly.

"I guess… well, wow…" Jubilee huffed, running a hand through her hair, "Here goes, then. You know about Antarctica, right?"

Annie nodded, "I've figured the basics out, yeah."

"Okay, so I stayed at the Academy in Massachusetts for a while as part of the GenX team. I rejoined the X Men about three months after Antarctica and Remy came back about … three months after that, and Jono didn't come till a year after Antarctica."

"Jono was one of the X Men," Annie nodded,

"Yeah. His codename was Chamber, 'cuz he didn't have a mouth or anything. He had chambers of psionic energy instead…"

"So what happened?"

"I'm getting to that part, lady," Jubilee replied, "Get comfortable. This story spans ten months…"

XXXXX

Jubilee remembered the first time quite clearly.

It was nearly a month after the whole truth about Gambit's empathy powers came out, and Jono had finally tracked her down to inform her that her Gambit-and-Jono-are-a-couple theory was incorrect (and therefore, she should stop hinting otherwise).

She was sulking around because Jono had chewed her out for ten minutes straight first thing in the morning. It went mostly like this, /JUS' 'COS I'VE SLEPT NEXT TER GAMBIT IN THE SAME BED DOES NOT MEAN WE ARE HAVING SEX –OR DATING!/

Jubilee had only interjected once –saying she was sorry for the misunderstanding (okay, maybe it wasn't exactly like that, but it's what she meant) –and Jono had given her such a stink eye that she had been sulking ever since.

It was nearly midnight, and she went out onto the patio to get some air.

The night air was clear and cool and felt very nice.

Jubilee sighed and sank down in the corner of the patio, near a large potted plant, outside of the stream of light coming from inside.

She was there for several minutes before she heard the glass door slide open and someone come out.

Shit, she could she just wait until they left. She wasn't up to talking to someone right now (amazing, huh?)… Hopefully they didn't feel like staying for too long.

"Y' can see de stars real good t'night."

Jubilee peeked through the leaves of the plant next to her. Just as she suspected –Gumbo! She opened her mouth, but heard someone else reply first, /Yeah,/

Her eyes widened as she noticed her old fellow GenX-er standing next to Gambit. Before, it would probably be way harder to see him, but recently, Jono had started _not_ wearing all black every day. Today had been one of those days.

Jubilee could make out his light gray t-shirt in the dark.

"Ever learned any o' de constellations?"

/Nah. Yer?/

Gambit laughed, "_Mon pere_ tried t' teach me 'fore. Jus' wasn' interested…"

/Wot ch'yer interested in, then?/ Jono wondered,

There was a silence, so Jubilee leaned forward to see what was happening.

She saw Gambit standing close to Jono in the stream of light from inside.

/Rem…?/

Jubilee watched, eyes bugging, as Gambit closed the space between himself and Jono.

Gambit pressed his lips against Jono's bandages and Jubilee felt something in her throat constrict.

_Ohshitohshitohshit, _she thought, remembering what had happened when Paige had tried to kiss Jono.

Gambit leaned back quickly.

The silence in the air was unnerving.

"Jono?" Gambit whispered,

The Brit didn't move.

Suddenly, he whirled around, making an odd sound.

"Jono!" Gambit exclaimed, reaching out and grabbing Jono's arm.

/Let go,/ Jono said thickly.

If Jono was crying, Jubilee was going to throttle Gambit. She started to crouch, ready to spring.

"_Non, _Jono… I'm sorry if-"

/I like yer, Remy, I do… It's not that…/

"Den, why, _cher_?"

/I don't have a mouth!/ Jono burst out, turning around, /If yer want ter be with me, yer won't even be able ter _kiss me_!/

Gambit gently pulled Jono closer, "Ain't a problem," he whispered, putting his arms around Jono.

/I –I can't –I'm not worth it, Remy-/ Jono sniffed.

"Y'r wort' it t' me, _cher,_" Gambit replied.

Jubilee sank back into the shadows as Jono cried softly.

She knew this was beyond just Jono's disability to kiss. Since his powers had manifested, he had always considered himself a monster. In the past weeks, this had lessened a bit, but now, faced with the very obvious fact that he was lacking in major organs and (especially) features, Jono was filled with self-loathing once more. He had always believed that no one could love a monster, which was maybe why he had pushed Paige away.

Jubilee waited. She couldn't leave until they did, or they would notice her. Maybe Gambit _already _noticed her. He was an empath after all...

Silently, Jubilee watched until Jono's mental sobs subsided. Gambit continued stroking the younger man's hair and murmuring soothingly in French.

(Oo0oO)

Jubilee remembered the day Jono and Gambit officially came out as a couple to the rest of the X Men.

She had kept mum about what she had seen –even to Bobby (quite an accomplishment, really) –feeling that it was (for once) not something she had the right to share with anyone.

It was about two weeks later that Gambit informed everyone at breakfast, "I'm dating Jono,"

Logan already knew this because of his enhance smelling abilities, so he just grunted in acknowledgement and went back to eating breakfast.

Bobby exclaimed "I knew it!" while Jean, Xavier and Hank gave their congratulations. Scott did, too, and then Storm, but Jubilee noticed her hesitate and frown before doing so. Then the Wind Rider quickly excused herself from the kitchen.

Jubilee noticed Gambit's eyes follow Storm out of the room and his brow furrow.

"I'm afraid Storm will need some time to get used to this," Xavier spoke up.

Gambit didn't look so convinced.

XXXXX

"-where was Rogue?" Annie asked.

Jubilee snapped out of Story-Telling-Mode in a jiffy and gave her an annoyed look, "She was on vacation." She said, relaxing back on the couch, "I mean, she came back eventually…But she didn't really care that much."

"Why not? I thought she and Gambit were-"

"The key word there is '_were_'. Nah, she was with Joseph when Gambit and Jono got together –y'know the clone of Magneto or somethin'?"

Annie sat back on the couch, trying to absorb it all.

"What's this?"

Jubilee tilted her head back and grinned, "Why _bonjour_," she said.

Jean Paul Beaubier rolled his eyes and straightened up from where he was leaning against the doorway.

"What viciously contorted tale are we telling today, hm?" Jean Paul asked as he sat down.

"The tale of the Prince of the Thieves and his lover," Jubilee retorted.

"Oh, Prince of Thieves? And who might that be?" Jean Paul said, raising his eyebrows in amusement.

Jubilee pointed in the general direction of the shelf of portraits on the wall across the room, "That guy," she said.

Annie stood up and Jean Paul followed her over to them.

The shelf had already been full when Annie had arrived a year and a half ago, and she had never really bothered to look at any of the photos other than the ones in the front.

Now she took the time to scan through them for the face she had first seen only an hour ago.

"Here!" She picked one out.

It was a little dusty from being near the back of the shelf, but she wiped the thin layer off the glass and showed it to Jean Paul, "The one with the longer hair," She pointed, "That's Gambit,"

Jean Paul stared intently at the four smiling faces in the photo.

The clear blue sky in the back ground gave proof that the picture had been taken outside of the mansion.

Jubilee huffed as she dragged herself off the bed and over to where Jean Paul and Annie stood and peered over Jean Paul's shoulder, "Aw, dude, I forgot about this one… I was talkin' about the other picture," She shrugged and smiled. She pointed to the far left and named off the people in the picture, "That's me, Bobby, Gambit and Jono."

"Jono… is…. He's cute, even with the… face thing, um…" Annie trailed off,

"Yeah, Gambit has good taste," Jubilee sighed, "I mean, Jono was the only one who doesn't think he looks good…"

"Wait," Jean Paul blinked, "He's-"

"Bi," Jubilee sniffed, as Annie place the frame back on the shelf, "So I'm assuming Gumbo didn't find Jono?"

"No," Annie said.

"Okay, then, did he look kinda hollow when he walked in? Like he had no purpose in life or something?" Jubilee asked,

"I suppose, yes," Annie replied.

"Oh shit," Jubilee muttered, beginning to pace the room, "Shit, oh man, he's gonna be miserable… he's gonna lock himself in his room for forever, he's gonna start giving one-syllable answers again, he's gonna-"

"_Bonjour, petit,_"

Jubilee whirled around, "Gumbo!" She squeaked, "You're back!"

"T'ink y' already heard," he said, smiling.

For a moment, Jubilee hesitated. Then she threw herself toward Remy and wrapped her arms around his torso, "I missed you," She said into his trench coat.

"Missed y', too, _fille_," Remy said as Jubilee stepped back.

He looked up at Annie and Jean Paul and smiled, "Gon' introduce us, Jubes?"

"Yeah, sure, Jean Paul, Annie, this is Gumbo (as you know), Gambit, this is Jean Paul Beaubier and Annie Ghazikhanian. JP joined the team about a year ago, and Annie has been the Institute's nurse for even longer than that."

Remy shook Jean Paul's hand before taking Annie's and pressing his lips to her fingers, "_Enchante_," he said.

Jubilee slapped his arm as he straightened up, "you flirt," She scolded.

He flashed her a winning smile.

"So, where were you?" Jubilee demanded.

Remy blinked, "Everywhere, _fille_, I went everywhere."

Jubilee's shoulders sagged, "And you didn't find him?" She already knew this, of course, but somehow hearing the words from Gambit made them sink in.

"_Non_," for a moment, Remy got this far-away, sad look in his eyes, but them he blinked and shrugged, "I jus' know dat he's not d-dead," –he fumbled over the word –"because I didn' find a body. Dat's good, _oui_?"

Jubilee swallowed, "Peachy," she agreed. Then she turned to Jean Paul, "Ya know where Bobby is?"

He briefly made a face, "Off sulking somewhere. As usual."

Remy gave him a questioning look, but it was Annie who explained, "Bobby's been a little depressed and or sour for a while now. It's miserable to be around, frankly."

As Jean Paul complained to Annie about Bobby's 'rude and completely unnecessary behavior' around him, Jubilee tugged Remy to the side.

"You okay, Gumbo?" she asked, sincerely concerned.

Remy blinked slowly and nodded, "_Oui_, o' course. Can always ask Xavier t' try Cerebro _mais_ other dan dat, dere's not'in' I can do dat I haven' already tried."

"Maybe we shoulda tried harder when Jono initially went missing," Jubilee looked down guiltily.

Remy put a reassuring hand on her shoulder, "It's _bien_, _petit_. Jono can take care o' himself."

"I'm so sorry," Jubilee mumbled miserably.

"Don' be like dat, _fille_, it wasn' y'r fault,"

Jubilee nodded and quickly brushed away a tear that had escaped her eye, "Yeah, I know, I just…" she sniffed and cleared her throat, "Why don't you go say hello to the others, huh?" she said, forcing herself to sound bright, "Jean and everyone missed you. Even Wolvie, I think."

"O' course," Remy snorted.

Jubilee took his arm and led him out of the room.

She didn't notice as he glanced at the shelf of frames by the door and dropped his strong and calm façade as he noticed the photo Annie and Jean Paul had been looking at before.

For a moment, his eyes became sad, revealing –once more- the haunted, miserable man who had walked through the doors of the mansion just over an hour earlier.

**A/N: I'm a total, complete failure of epic proportions. It's not my fault I'm addicted to Jean Paul Beaubier. [Sigh…] Also, Carter doesn't exist in this story. :P**

**Also, I'm SOOO sorry if Annie seems OC to anyone… no one ever really writes her and it's difficult to figure her out based on her little appearances in the comics… **

**P.S: I've been referring to Remy as 'Gambit', because the interlude is from Jubilee's point of view, and there is no way I'm gonna call him 'Gumbo' for, like, two pages…**

**Review!**


	6. Homecoming

**Disclaimer: Damn The Man.**

**A/N: I am totally depressed after reading a BTR fanfiction. No one ever writes Big Time Rush like the show appears – which is: Fluffy. [sighs]. Also, I found out that Marvel killed the Human Torch from the Fantastic 4 back in January… Does anyone know if he's been resurrected? Because you do NOT just kill Johnny Storm. It's not fucking RIGHT!**

_**Telltale quote: "Now what would I be doin' in town, **_**fille**_**?" –Remy (to Jubilee)**_

* * *

><p>Four Years Later…<p>

Annie Ghazikhanian had seen many things that shocked her during her time at the mansion. She had seen aliens, monsters, and animals attack the Institute. She had seen (a few times too many) almost-naked students chasing other students through the halls in their attempt to get their clothes back after Danger Room training sessions. She had been there the night Logan got so drunk he began to sing Jesse McCartney (no one even knew how the Canadian knew the words to any of McCartney's songs). Hell, Annie had been in the Recreation Room that Christmas day when Bobby Drake had stalked in, grabbed Jean-Paul Beaubier by the front of the shirt, and kissed him passionately.

But oddly enough, the things that shocked her most were the things she never realized until way after the event had occurred.

It was November 2nd once again.

Annie was eating lunch outside, marveling at how so much time had flown by when the gates of the Institute opened.

From where she sat, Annie squinted to see the figure riding up the winding driveway on a motorcycle. It must've been Logan; he had gone out for a beer the night before and had not been seen all morning.

Annie laughed to herself as she thought about how bad his hangover must've been.

The motorcycle drove around the building to the front and was lost from Annie's view. That was the last she thought of it.

* * *

><p>Kevin Ford didn't get interested by many things very often; definitely not by any of his classmates, not by most of the teachers (come on –Wolverine was pretty cool), and usually not by any newcomers. He was sitting at his usual perch on his windowsill in the room he shared (it was <em>so<em> unsafe…) with Julian Keller. From his lace, he could see the front of the mansion and everyone coming in and out. As he heard the familiar sound of Wolverine's motorcycle, he glance out the window and was surprised to see a much leaner and black-clad man riding the Harley. Kevin knew bikes, and he knew that that was _definitely_ Wolverine's bike.

He smirked to himself as he thought of how mad Wolverine would be when he found out someone had stolen his bike.

Kevin slid off his perch and walked out of the room and down the hall. He walked down the staircase just as someone knocked on the door.

No one else was in sight so Kevin moved across the front hall and opened the door.

"Yeah?" He smirked; it was the biker.

"I'm here ter see Xavier," the chestnut-haired man in front of him sad.

Like Kevin, he was wrapped in black clothing, but unlike Kevin, it was because he was Goth.

"Xavier? He doesn't live here anymore," Kevin crossed his arms. The biker was British. The accent said everything. "Do you wanna see Miss Frost or Mr. Summers?"

"Emma," the man said immediately, "I'll see her,"

"Right," Kevin drawled ("Of course you do," He thought), "Follow me, then,"

Kevin lead the man up the staircase, noticing out of the corner of his eye that he seemed restless; he kept looking around. "So what's your name?"

"Decibel,"

Kevin nodded; Codenames –this meant he was some sort of serious superhero, "Never heard of you. I'm Wither, by the way." Kevin Ford; wanted by the FBI.

"Do your powers have anything to do with your name or are you just one of those people who pick an impressive name?" Kevin wondered.

Decibel didn't answer, "Wot sort of name is 'Wither'?" He said finally.

"I have a death touch," Kevin said. He glanced back at Decibel, waiting for him to step away slightly. He didn't. Instead, Decibel shrugged, "I'm already dead, so ter speak."

"I'd still be able to kill you, though. You'd turn into a pile of ashes."

Decibel shrugged again, "Then I'll call yer when I want ter die, then,"

Kevin paused as they walked up to Emma Frost's office door, "We're here," He said.

"Thank yer,"

He nodded and walked down the hall.

Kevin waited for a moment as Decibel knocked on the door before letting himself in. He heard Miss Frost gasp, but in the following moments there wasn't the sound of anything being broken, so he figured Decibel was safe and walked off down the hall.

* * *

><p>Jonothan Starsmore had never seen Emma Frost speechless.<p>

As a telepath, she was rarely surprised by anything. So the fact that she was still staring at him in shock was astounding.

"J-Jonothan?"

"Yeah, I-"

"You're alive," she stated.

"Mm-hm,"

"Well this is great! Will you be staying? I'll find you a room…" she quickly sat up and grabbed a folder of papers on her desk, "Oh, wait –you can take your old room. Do you remember where it is? It might be a little dusty, but honestly, dear, it's been six years…"

Jono frowned, "Don't yer want ter know where I was?"

"Jonothan, you don't seem ready to share. I can assume that where ever you were, the people there gave you a mouth and control over your powers, but I'm not going to pry. Besides, the story would probably take a while and we shouldn't keep you to myself; I'm sure everyone will be thrilled to see you again. You've caused a lot of grief, my dear."

Jono blinked, "Shit. Emma –can you hold off on telling anybody I'm back for a moment."

"What could you possibly be waiting for?"

Jono swallowed (He was still proud that he could swallow at all), "I'm not ready… I can't…"

"Alright," Emma sighed, following Jono to the door, "And Jonothan?"

He paused, about to step outside.

"Yeah?"

"I'm very happy that you're back."

"Thank yer,"

Emma nodded and smiled.

When the door closed she sniffed and went back to her desk. Sitting down, she grabbed a tissue box nearby and blew her nose.

* * *

><p>Remy LeBeau was having an average day. He had just finished showering after training with some of the New Mutants and he was ready to take a rest.<p>

"Hey Remy," someone called his name as he made his way down the hall. He turned to find Rogue catching up to him and he smiled. They had worked out their differences a few years ago, and now they becoming (cautiously) friends again, "Hey, Rogue," he said, "What can I do f' y'?"

"Ah was lookin' for Logan? His bike is in the garage, but no one's seen him all morning." Rogue frowned.

"Logan?" Jean Paul suddenly appeared next to them, dragging Bobby along with him, "We just saw him come in. He stinks of alcohol and he's in a bad mood right now." He smirked.

"He was muttering something about someone stealing his Harley," Bobby put in.

"Someone stole Wolvie's bike?" Jubilee suddenly popped up, "Ooh, they are _so_ dead!" she laughed.

"You mean it wasn't you?" Rogue wondered.

"What! I thought it was Remy!"

"Now what would I be doin' in town, _fille_?" Remy snorted.

Annie approached the group, having just returned from outside, "What's going on here?"

"Someone stole Logan's bike," Jubilee revealed, grinning.

"But I just saw him riding up the driveway on it twenty minutes ago," Annie said in confusion.

"Musta been the thief," Rogue said.

"Who was it?" Bobby wanted to know.

Annie scratched her cheek, "I honestly thought it was Logan… I guess now that I think about it, he _was_ a little narrower than Logan."

"Narrow frame? Hm, sounds like Remy!" Jubilee said.

"Dat's ridiculous, Jubes, I was in de Danger Room de whole time,"

"I should let you know that Logan is coming down the next hall," Jean-Paul cut in, reappearing (no one had noticed him disappear).

Jubilee groaned, "ugh, he's gonna be so cranky!" she said, slapping her hand over her forehead.

"Yeah, I'm scramming," Bobby announced.

Within moments, the whole crowd was gone and it was only Remy standing there.

Logan came around the corner, looking pained (his hangover, no doubt). When he spotted Remy he hesitated before slouching down the hall.

He didn't meet Remy's eyes.

"Hey! Logan!" Remy called, "Heard someone stole y'r bike?"

Logan seemed to freeze, "Yeah… just some twerp I'll take care of later."

"Musta been one helluva night at de bar, huh?" Remy grinned.

"Yup," Logan grumbled, edging away.

Remy watched the short man hurry down the hall and raised his eyebrows, "Hm,"

He said to himself.

He took his time walking back to his room, stopping here and there to small-talk with a few of his team mates. Just as he turned down the hall to the staircase, he thought he saw a flash of familiar chestnut-colored hair out of the corner of his eye. He hurried forward and saw a pair of black-boot-clad feet disappear up the stairs.

Remy froze; it couldn't be.

Then he flew into motion, racing up the stairs. He was slightly out of breath as he arrived at the top of the staircase. He looked around and saw a man dressed in black disappear around the corner.

Damn; he was _quick_.

Remy ran down the hall and caught up with the man. He grabbed a black-clothed shoulder and turned it around—

"Hey!"

Remy stepped back, "I'm sorry –_desole _–I thought y' were someone else-"

Kevin Ford stepped away, too, "Um, it's okay, Mr. LeBeau. You took me by surprise… I could've killed you –your hand was _really_ close to my skin…"

Remy apologized again and waved the student on.

He stared after the retreating teen and sighed; his imagination had been playing tricks on him.

Feeling gloomy now, Remy turned around and headed toward his room again. This time, he got there without any side trips. He had opened the door just a crack when he heard the sound of someone else in his room.

Remy narrowed his eyes and pushed the door open quietly, slipping inside. Using his thievery skills, he crept down the short hallway and into the main bedroom.

Someone was standing at his window, looking outside. His hair was a bit long and the color of—

No way was that Kevin Ford this time. The student had gone in the other direction!

"Jono?" He whispered hoarsely.

The man whirled around and the first thing Remy saw was that he was lacking the black bandages that Jono had covering his mouth. "Who de hell are you?" Remy said.

The man opened his mouth and then closed it again. He walked slowly across the room until he stood a few feet away from Remy. "It's me, Remy. Jono."

Remy crossed his arms and leaned over him, "Right." He sneered doubtfully. He scrutinized the man who claimed to be Jono. He dressed vaguely like Jono. His hair was the right shade. If Remy could touch it, maybe he could tell if it was the right texture. The man smelled like smoke and cologne and not even a little like Jono. And he had a mouth, too. The nose and the cheekbones were Jono's, though. Remy was reluctant to look into the eyes.

Jono's eyes were a beautiful brown color. They were like doe eyes and surrounded by long eyelashes.

"Remy?"

The Cajun slowly closed his eyes. He knew that voice. He had never heard it aloud, but he knew it nonetheless. It had to be Jono. Oh dear God, _please_ let it be Jono.

Remy's eyes snapped open and he looked into those big brown eyes and they were _Jono's_. He reached out hesitantly, his hand lingering in the air next to Jono's face. Would he disappear if Remy tried to touch him?

Jono leaned forward and brushed his cheek against Remy's palm. He looked up into Remy's eyes, "I'm sorry I couldn't get back to yer earlier, luv." He said.

"Where y' been?" Remy said.

Jono sighed, "That night, six years ago…I never noticed, but there was a van followin' me while I was walking. Clichéd, I know, an' the next thing I knew they sedated me an' I woke up with a mouth, working organs, and control over my powers."

"Who were dey?" Remy said cautiously.

"Weapon X," Jono spat bitterly.

Silence fell. Remy absorbed those two words, horrified, and Jono waited for Remy to respond.

"Why couldn't y' get back earlier?" Remy said finally.

"Heavy mind control,"

"Den how did y' break free?"

"They loosened their control on me over the years so one day I used all the shields I could manage ter protect my mind… An' I blasted the whole bloody facility apart. Killed them all, ter put it simply."

Remy moved closer cautiously, "Do y' know how many?" he said softly.

"Does it matter?" Jono said, his expression composed.

The Cajun looked into those eyes he knew so well and even without his empathy, he could see the remorse buried deep inside Jono.

"Are y' sorry y' killed dem?" He asked.

Jono looked away and crossed his arms, "Yeah. I don't think I should, though."

Remy touched Jono's arm, "Jono,"

The younger man looked down and stepped back, saying carefully, "It was nice ter see yer again, Remy."

Confused and hurt by Jono's sudden distance, Remy reached out, "_Chere_?"

Something about that word made Jono lose it. His walls came tumbling down like Jericho. Remy grabbed Jono just as the younger man's knees buckled underneath him.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," Jono cried, "I was a bloody idiot –if I'd never gone out that night –I wanted ter-"

Remy wrapped his arms around the sobbing man and sat them down on the bed. He realized that tears were leaking down his cheeks as well.

Jono buried his face into the base of Remy's neck, clinging to the Cajun for dear life. The crying subsided for both of them and then they just laid on the bed silently, holding on another.

"I missed yer." Jono whispered hoarsely, "When I was in my right mind, sometimes I missed yer so much it hurt."

"I was horrible dose first three years. I spent two years searchin' de world f' y', _chere_."

"I'm sorry," Jono said again.

"Don' matter. Past is de past, now."

Jono sighed against Remy, "I love yer." He said quietly.

"_Je t'aime_," Remy murmured into Jono's ear.

It was as if something had finally clicked into place. For years, Remy had been living with a feeling of emptiness –of incompleteness. He didn't believe in the soul-mate principal, but Remy thought that this was probably the next best thing, and he was happy with it.

"Can I kiss yer now?" Jono said, a smile in his voice.

"Jus' a moment, _chere_. I need t' savor this."

Jono laughed softly, "I'm not going anywhere, Remy."

"I know," Remy smiled at the thought, "I won't let yer leave me 'gain –on purpose or by accident. _Mais_ I jus' want ter hold y' right now."

Jono snuggled against Remy, "Works fer me. We 'ave forever, luv, jus' you an' me."

"Dat's really romantic."

"I know."

"Let's see what dat new mouth o' yours can do, _oui_?" Remy grinned slyly.

"Let's," Jono agreed, bringing his mouth to Remy's.

It was truly their first kiss, even if Remy insisted that what they did before was kissing, too. They let it go deep, exploring each other's mouths with their tongues. Remy wrapped his arms around Jono's waist an leaned back for a moment, "Y' sure you're okay? After everythin' dat happened to y'?"

Jono grinned, eyes twinkling with happiness, "Never been better, luv," he said. He knotted his fingers into Remy's hair, "Now kiss me,"

"Mm…"

"-And hold me tight," he murmured.

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><p><strong>AN: Dear god, is it almost the end? Yup! I'm going to be adding a quick epilogue, and then it's THE END! Actually, I'm trying to wrap up all stories so I can start that high school AU I mentioned on my profile… (Go there and vote for pairings). So? What did you think? Have you been lured to the dark side that is Remy/Jono? Please review! I had so much fun writing this chapter!**


	7. Epilogue

**Disclaimer: Damn the man.**

**A/N: Holy shit, it's another chapter! Yes, indeed! I apologize to everyone who was tricked into believing this story was finished last chapter. See, I was off to Chicago when I posted it, so I wasn't thinking straight and I just went 'the end'. So, enjoy!**

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><p>"Aw, Wolvie, what's up? You've been tense all morning!" Jubilee complained.<p>

"Gumbo's alright, right?"

"Eh, he's been in his room for the last three hours," Jubilee shrugged, "Probably went into sulk-mode again,"

"I don't think so," Logan said after a moment.

"Okay, mister, you got something you need to share with the class?" Jubilee asked, putting her hands on her hips and getting off the couch to stand in front of Logan.

He looked thoughtful for a moment and then shrugged, "Just a scent I picked up earlier. Might be somethin'."

"Oh yeah? What scent?"

"Chamber's." Logan said shortly.

For a moment, Jubilee wasn't sure she had heard correctly, "Say what now? _Chamber_? As in, Jonothan Starsmore? As in, the guy who disappeared six years ago? Logan, that is so not funny."

"Not joking," He grunted, crossing his arms, "Boy stole my bike this morning."

Jubilee's eyes widened and her mouth popped open. No words came out for a few minutes until she jumped into action, "Jono? Really? Where is he? Omigod!"

"Wait, kid-" Logan started.

But she was already gone, racing out of the room at a speed that would've made Jean-Paul proud.

Remy and Jono were walking down the stairs from the dorms when Jubilee pounced.

"Jono!" She cried, throwing her arms around him, "Where have you _been_?"

"Jubes?"

She gasped and stepped back, "Hot damn, Jono; you have a mouth!"

He grinned, revealing straight white teeth (He was so proud of every single one of those teeth) and said, "Yeah,"

"Welcome home! Christ, I think I might cry," Jubilee sniffed, walking with the couple down the remainder of the stairs.

"Please don'," Remy said, a little alarmed by such a threat.

Jubilee made a face at him, and then turned to Jono, "Logan was acting weird all morning –you know, more than usual –so I asked him why and he finally spilled that he picked up your scent when you stole his bike! I can't believe you did that, Jono!"

"I got tired of walking?" Jono shrugged innocently.

Jubilee suddenly gasped, a thought occurring to her "You have to meet everyone! We've gotten a lot of new team mates!"

"Jubilee, don' rush everythin'," Remy chided, "Jono jus' came back,"

"I think I deserve an explanation!" She said, only half teasing.

"Weapon X, Jubes, yer know who they are, right?" Jono said.

"They guys who gave Logan his adamantium?" her eyes widened.

"Right," he said grimly.

And then the subject was quickly stuffed and sealed into the Things Not To Be Mentioned box.

The tension disappeared as they entered the Recreation Room where most of the X-Men were lounging.

Jono was greeted by hugs from Bobby, Storm, and even –surprisingly – from Rogue.

Jubilee also quickly introduced Jono to some other X-Men that had joined in the past six years, "This is Annie, the nurse, Alex, Scott's little bro, and Jean-Paul."

"What, I don't get any other title?" He complained.

Jubilee rolled her eyes, "How's this," she said, "Jean-Paul Beaubier; Former Olympic gold-medalist, former member of Alpha Flight, formerly presumed straight-as-an-arrow Robert Drake's _boyfriend_… Gee JP, ya want me to go on? You've got a lot of former-somethings goin' on here."

He crossed his arms and turned around, pretending to be annoyed.

A gust of wind suddenly blew through the Recreation Room and everyone turned to the open windows as two winged mutants flew in through them.

"Warren!" Storm scolded, "You know there is a door, right?"

He smiled, all charm, and said, "I was just showing a student how to land inside a building."

"Corrupting the poor guy's more like it!" Bobby said, mocking Storm's irritation, "Oh the _shame_ –ow!" he yelped as Jay Guthrie –said student –thwacked him unnecessarily as he folded his red wings behind him.

Warren grinned at his pupil and then turned to the group, and noticed Jono. Still smiling, he said, "Hey Jono! It's been a while; welcome back." He passed through the room, Jay trailing after him, without any second thoughts. Storm stalked after them, intent of lecturing Warren about flying in through the windows.

Everyone else stared after the winged mutant for a moment, wondering if he had ever even noticed that Jono had been missing from the face of the Earth for half a dozen years.

"Gee," Bobby said, disgruntled, as Jean-Paul helped him to his feet, "Someone better tell Sam that his little brother is becoming a mini-Warren…"

"But we just had all of the walls and ceilings fixed…" Jubilee sighed.

Remy glanced at Jono discreetly, worried that all of this might be too much, but the younger man was calm, looking amused by the whole exchange.

He slipped his hand into Jono's, who glanced up at him for a moment before smiling and leaning closer, so that their sides were pressed together.

Jubilee chattered on, updating Jono on everything she could.

No one tried asking where Jono had been –they knew that if even Jubilee didn't pry about the subject, it was best not to try it themselves.

And life went on, with the end being the start of a new beginning.

Bobby and Jubilee still pranked everyone at least once a week, Logan went back to threatening anyone who ever tried to steal his precious motorcycle, Annie continued nursing the X-Men back to health after they got beaten up on a mission that Scott had sent them on unprepared, and Remy and Jono lived…

Well, you know. They lived.

Don't worry, they lived happily, too.

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><p><em>The End.<em>

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><p><strong>AN: Woohoo! The end! Review!**


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